Tuesdays with Tom: The MVPs of 2024
Ranking the people who made the most noise in 2024, plus reflections on my favorite stuff from the last 12 months
Since 2020, I've made it a tradition to close out the year by ranking my top 10 MVPs. Here's a quick reminder of how this works. I take a closer look at well-known figures and individuals who have achieved remarkable things over the past year. Then, I look over everything, craft a list of 10 names and let it rip. This exercise is for my own amusement, but I also think it speaks to the year we’ve experienced. I've previously discussed the ambiguous nature of "most valuable," and since this list extends beyond the realm of sports, that definition becomes even murkier. Fortunately, that works perfectly in my favor. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s my list of MVPs for 2024.
#10) Curt Cignetti
Let’s pretend it is 1899. Cuba has been liberated from Spanish rule. The Philippine-American War breaks out. Ernest Hemingway is born in Oak Park, Illinois. In Bloomington, Indiana, a football program is born, too. For 126 years, the Indiana Hoosiers have played horrible football with stunning consistency. Out of 135 Division-I football teams, they rank 126th all-time in team winning percentage. They’ve won two conference titles over three different centuries. It’s easier to find the missing figures from the Bermuda Triangle that it is to find great Indiana football seasons.
Curt Cignetti sparked more confidence from a single pep rally speech than the Hoosiers ever experienced in 1,210 games of putrid college football. After successful head coaching stints at IUP, Elon and James Madison, he told his skeptics “Google Me” and then immediately went 11-1 in his first season at Indiana. It’s the most wins Indiana has ever recorded in a single season. They’re headed to the College Football Playoff. Cignetti’s charming debut at Indiana isn’t just historic, it’s been insanely profitable for him. He’s already signed a new eight-year contract, worth $72 million guaranteed, to coach the Hoosiers through 2032. To go from a relatively obscure football coach, to Indiana, a playoff berth and generational wealth in one year’s time? That’s a story that would make even Hemingway jealous.
#9) Creed
Outside of my occasional karaoke renditions of “Higher”, virtually no one was keeping Creed culture alive in the public eye since their quiet break-up in 2009. Creed dominated the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their memorable alternative rock jams propelled them to 53 million albums sold worldwide. Then, they were mercilessly mocked and disappeared. But something happened during this hiatus. Creed became so ironically beloved that the prospect of a reunion tour was too tantalizing to pass up. I was stunned this summer when I saw several friends of mine posting enthusiastically from the Creed show in Tinley Park, IL.
It appears those ironic fans slowly converted back to the genuine ones that fueled Creed’s epic apex from decades ago. The Summer of ‘99 Cruise brought Creed back to the masses and they were as warmly embraced as they were 25 years ago. Creed has leaned hard into nostalgia, bringing along acts like 3 Doors Down, Tonic, Buckcherry and Fuel with them on this worldwide arena tour. Some reports suggest that Creed is making up to $2 million per show on this tour. It’s extremely unusual for a polarizing band with no new material, and decades completely off the radar, to be this in-demand suddenly. But rest assured that other legacy alternative rock bands are looking to capitalize on the newfound acceptance of their style. Nickelback and Linkin Park are on deck next. It just goes to show you if you wait around long enough, everything becomes cool again.
#8) Max Verstappen
Netflix’s Drive to Survive series helped Formula 1 become a mainstream sport in the United States. However, the timing of this spike in new F1 fans couldn’t come at a weirder time for the sport. That’s because Max Verstappen is so dominant that he has suffocated his competition and all drama from most F1 races. While drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo enjoy far more popularity, Verstappen is kicking their ass in nearly every grand prix. Verstappen secured his fourth straight Formula 1 title this year. At 27 years old, he seems poised to continue this dominant streak for quite some time.
Verstappen is one title away from matching Michael Schumaker’s record of five-straight F1 titles in a career. He’s already third all-time in total wins (62) and most individual titles (4). His 30% race victory rate is on par with the all-time F1 greats. If Schumaker and Lewis Hamilton are Bill Russell and Michael Jordan, Verstappen is LeBron, the youthful prodigy with plenty of time to erase the records of the greats in front of him. I don’t watch much F1 and I know that fans watch for more than the winning driver. But F1 fans better be cool with watching their driver compete for second place, because that’s likely going to be the only option while Verstappen reaches peaks that few have ever touched in this sport.
#7) Kendrick Lamar
It’s difficult for someone with massive fame, fortune, 17 Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize to experience a second peak in their career. No one would fault Kendrick for kicking back and basking in the glow of his successes. But the reason he remains so beloved is because he won’t rest. In fact, he continues to find new ways to express his supremacy in the rap game. It didn’t come when anyone expected, but the long rumored feud between him and fellow superstar rapper Drake went off this summer. For several months, Drake and Kendrick exchanged 17 diss tracks between one another. Kendrick won in a landslide. The killing blows came from “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us” - two brutal yet unbelievably catchy diss tracks that sent Drake into indefinite hiding.
It’s one thing for a group of rabid diehards to consume tracks from an ongoing feud. But “Not Like Us” peaked at No. 1 in the United States, inspiring banging heads around the world and millions gleefully recited the lyrics bashing Drake. He didn’t stop there either. His surprise album GNX was Kendrick’s exclamation point proving that he can do the Drake pop-rap style as well as anyone. Let me be clear: I don’t endorse all rap battles and I’m glad no one was physically hurt during this spat. But I won’t deny that I took great pleasure in watching Kendrick, a consummate professional who has earned his place in rap’s pantheon of lyrical masters, eviscerate Drake, a talented but extremely corny pop star, with such specific efficiency. It was such a strong victory for Lamar that he’s headlining the Super Bowl next February, after Drake once said he was as “big as the Super Bowl.” Only one of those men is performing at it next year. It’s not Drake.
#6) Glen Powell
This year’s clear Hollywood “It-Guy” is Glen Powell. The 36-year-old actor is enjoying a long-awaited moment in the spotlight. He made a brief cameo in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and much later in The Dark Knight Rises. I loved his performance in Everybody Wants Some!! in 2016. Once Top Gun: Maverick arrived, it was off to the races for the Glen Powell hype train. His 2024 is the type of year all actors dream of having. His rom-com with Sydney Sweeney, Anyone But You, made $220 million at the box office. He co-wrote Hit Man with his friend Richard Linklater for Netflix and showed incredible acting versatility in the movie’s lead role. Twisters was a summer blockbuster that made $371 million. Everybody wants some of Glen Powell and it’s not hard to see why.
#5) Simone Biles
I hope you got a good look at Simone Biles during the Paris Summer Olympics. It might be the last time the world can marvel at her athletic prowess on a major stage. The 27-year-old Biles won four Olympics medals in Paris for Team USA. She won three gold medals in the all-around, vault and team categories and a silver medal in the floor exercise realm. In doing so, she passed Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast. This performance came three years after her abrupt exit from the Tokyo Games due to mental health and physical struggles. Even in this Olympics, it was clear Biles battled through injury and pain en route to her history-making performance in Paris. Biles is one of the greatest American athletes ever and this year put her into an elite field of Olympians. She hasn’t ruled out competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, but we should appreciate her while she’s here.
#4) Scottie Scheffler
Here’s a recap of what the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world did in 2024. Scottie Scheffler won six PGA Tour events. He won the Masters (again). He earned $28 million in prize money on the PGA Tour. He shot a 66 after being arrested during the 2024 PGA Championship. He became a father and capped it off by winning a gold medal in Paris. Each one of those things individually would be worthy of massive praise for a year in totality. He did all that in less than one year. There’s no question that Scheffler is the best golfer on the planet today and he’s quietly become one of its most compelling figures in years. If this isn’t the most amazing year of Scheffler’s life, we’ll be talking about him amongst golf’s all-time greats when it’s all said and done.
#3) Gen-Z Pop Stars
Take your pick. Chappell Roan. Tate McRae. Sabrina Carpenter. I’m a 32-year-old man who barely consumes pop music anymore and even I was well aware that these ladies were killing it culturally. This new class of Gen-Z pop stars might last longer than the micro-sized memories their contemporaries have ever known. This feels bigger than the moment we’re living in. Sabrina Carpenter became the first artist to have three top-5 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 songs at once since…The Beatles!! Chappell Roan’s Lollapalooza non-headlining concert was a massive flex of her popularity. Clearly, these women are resonating with a large audience. Will they dominate the charts for years to come? Time will tell. But right now, they’ve been great at drawing attention and building passionate fandoms.
#2) Charli XCX
As great as those ladies were, it was a Millennial woman who topped them all for the most impactful individual year for a musical artist. This 32-year-old British pop musician has been around for an eternity compared to her peers. She’s been featured on massive pop hits like Icona Pop’s “I Love It” in 2012 and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” in 2014. I’ve been a light fan since her collaboration with Mura Masa on “1 Night” and she’s had a solid career as a standalone artist (“1999” deserves more than a passing mention). Despite this track record, she mostly existed just outside of the center in the world of mainstream music.
That changed in a major way this summer with her latest album, Brat. It took no time at all for fans to embrace the album as an instant, no-skips classic. Brat is a wall-to-wall collection of excellent pop songs, ranging from London night club vibes, to 2000s techno homages and modern electro pop jams. Brat is nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys. It seems like her most personal record to date, too. Brat inspired a lot more than Spotify streams. It became a cultural phenomenon, with many declaring “Brat summer” as the new hot thing to participate in. It even got traction within the presidential election. For a modern pop artist that’s worked tirelessly over a long career, it had to be very satisfying to see such a rapturous reception for her latest efforts.
#1) Caitlin Clark
Let’s be honest. Caitlin Clark has done more for the popularity of women’s sports than anyone in human history. Clark wrapped up her unfathomable Iowa Hawkeyes career with her second Naismith College Player of the Year trophy, leading the Hawkeyes to a 34-5 record in her senior season. The Hawkeyes lost in the national championship to South Carolina, but captured the hearts and minds of millions of people who had never thought twice about women’s hoops before.
Clark is now the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history for both men’s and women’s career stats. She was a slam dunk choice for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. In her first season with the Indiana Fever, she won Rookie of the Year and led the hapless Fever from last place into the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2016. She’s so compelling that her presence is driving massive viewership spikes for the WNBA and forcing the league to raise its standards for their players. It’s also sparking far more WNBA conversation than ever before.
Like it or not, Caitlin Clark is already one of the most impactful American athletes of the century. Her greatness is a catalyst for women’s sports as a commercial product and inspiring for legions of girls who want to follow in her footsteps. She’s got endorsement deals that rival other star male athletes. It’s amazing that she’s become controversial (and if you think I’m touching that subject, LOL). There should be no ambiguity about how awesome it is that Clark is thriving and bringing a spotlight to a long overlooked league. I’ve heard more non-sports fans talk about her than I have heard about the NFL. I’ve seen old men who have sneered at women’s sports talk glowingly about her. Maybe she is the Lisan Al Gaib after all.
Tom’s Thoughts of the Week
In the last two episodes of Friday Night Beers, Vince and I dropped our annual Thanksgiving episode and tried Trader Joe’s Drive Thru Red. We once again traded beers for each other and talked about a handful of things we are thankful for. Lots of self-aware analysis about being Millennials, too. We were joined by Ryan Mac, founder of Mac Brewing, to try Drive Thru Red. We discussed why Trader Joe’s makes beers and why many people are devoted to grocery store brands. We closed with a debate about the best fast food chains.
Our fourth season finale is coming up later this week. We recapped everything we did this year and we gave out our annual awards to beers and fans. I plug this show regularly and I’m sure it gets annoying. But I just want to say very sincerely: thank you to anyone and everyone that has engaged with the podcast. We’ll be back for another season starting next month. Please subscribe, rate and review our podcast here and follow our Instagram page for relevant updates!
Someone gave me a good idea. I’m going to start making playlists for the music-related pieces I’ve written. If you’d like to enjoy these on Spotify, simply click on the linked playlists here. It was a pleasure writing about these topics throughout the year. Dookie, Frat Rapper’s Delight, Top 10 Disney Songs, One Album Wonders, Top 10 Best Movie Songs Ever and Halloween Bangers. Let it rip!
My favorite TV show of this year is HBO’s Industry. I spoke at length about it on a recent podcast we recorded, but I’ll briefly recap that here. Industry is a phenomenal show that moves at a breakneck pace with its scintillating story about the financial sector. It features great actors, who fluidly move between insanity, drama and dark comedy with ease. Over three seasons, it has matured gracefully from being a fun romp into one of television’s most thought provoking and thrilling dramas. I could not recommend it enough. Industry RULES!
I spent a lot of time recapping the year’s biggest pop songs, but I need to come clean. My favorite hit single this year is “Houdini” by Eminem. Just because I’m hyper aware of nostalgic manipulation doesn’t mean I am completely immune to it. I’ve been an Eminem fan since I was eight years old and “Houdini” was a shameless throwback to Eminem’s patented goofiness that delighted me as a kid. It is a literal homage to songs like “The Real Slim Shady” and “Without Me” and continues Eminem’s endless quest to analyze his persona musically. Between this self-referential rundown of the past and the fabulous sample of Steve Miller Band’s “Abracadabra”, Eminem let everyone know he can still give the people what they want, when he feels like it.
I enjoyed quite a few albums this year from High Vis, Alkaline Trio, Origami Angel and Four Year Strong. But in a shocking twist, my favorite album from the year is Drug Church’s PRUDE. I’ve grown into an avid fan of modern hardcore rock and PRUDE provides the most compact set of hardcore bangers I’ve heard to date. They blast a heavy guitar sound throughout their songs, but include just enough pop sensibility to make it extremely listenable. The first four tracks are nearly perfect: “Mad Care”, “Myopic”, “Hey Listen” and “Demolition Man”. The sardonic storytelling in “Business Ethics” deserves a lot more attention than it ever will. “Slide 2 Me” should be the next hardcore song to get a random commercial like Militarie Gun did. These songs are not meant for the radio. They should be played in grungy punk clubs and weight rooms across the country. PRUDE is a 28-minute thrashing of excellent punk tunes. I’m a new convert to Drug Church and I don’t care who knows it!
The best concert I attended this year goes to Green Day. I feel lucky that I caught them during the anniversary tours for Dookie and American Idiot. They’ll probably never play that set ever again. It was a night I’ll never forget. A few honorable mentions to Vulfpeck, Four Year Strong (twice!), A Day to Remember and Wolves of Glendale (twice again!).
I’m taking some time off from Tuesdays with Tom. The next time I am posting is on January 7, 2025. Thanks to everyone who read this throughout the year and beyond. You’ll be okay!